Water cooler



Jul 21, 1925. 1,546,897-

W. HERBERT WATER .COOLER Filed Sept. 2, 1924 WITNESSES ATTORNEY Patented July 21, 1925.

UNITED s'ra'rss PATENT orrice.

WILLIAM HERBERT, OF SlVIITHFIELD. NORTH CAROLINA, ASSTGNOR OF ONE-HALF T LONDOIEH C. POlIVELL, 0F SMITHFIELD, NORTH CAROLINA.

WATER COOLER.

Application filed September 2, 1924. Serial No. 735,388.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, lVILLiAM HERBERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at timithfield, in the county of Johnston and a State of North Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Water Coolers, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to water coolers of the type commonly used in residences and i0 oflices to insure a constant supply of cold water for drinkingpurposes, and has for its object the provision of novel means for holding the ice at the bottom of the tank near the outlet orifice where it will cool the water and maintain it in a cool condition, in cont-radistinction to the usual plan of having the ice float on the surface of the water. By thus submerging the ice in the cold water at the bottom of the tank and away from the warm water and air that collects at the top of the tank, the ice is conserved and cold drinking water is always obtainable.

With these and other objects in view, as will become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts hereinafter to be fully described and claimed. A full and complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, it being understood that while the drawing shows a practical form of the invention, the latter is not to be confined to strict conformity with the showing thereof, but may be changed or modified, so long as such changes and modifications mark no departure from the salient features of the invention, as specifially pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing is shown a perspective view of a conventional form of water cooler, a portion of one of its sides being broken away to illustrate the association and cooperation of the invention therewith.

The water cooler 1 comprises a hollow cylindrical body 2, an enlarged base 3, and a removable cover 4. and the body 2 is provided with oppositely disposed handles 5 for moving the cooler from place to place. A valved faucet 6 is secured to the body 1 adj acent the base 3 in the usual manner and serves to dispense the water from the cooler as desired. No claim is made to the features described, and any other form of cooler may be employed.

It is customary in the use of such coolers to insert the desiredamount of water and ice through the open top, and the ice being lighter than water floats, which makes it necessary for practically the whole body of water to cool before a cold drink can be obiii-3 tained. The ice also melts very rapidly due to the fact that it is positioned partially in and partially out of the water, and is there fore continually subjected to the melting effect of both the warm air and the water at the top of the cooler.

the practice of this invention, however, the ice .7 is held down against the bottom of the tank by the horizontally disposed metallic plate 9, which is brazed or otherwise rigidly secured to the bottom of ore pansion spring 10, and is slightlysmaller than the interior diameter of the body 2. To the top of the spring 10 is secured the transverse bar 11, which is made of spring metal and has its opposite ends 12 bent upwardly and outwardly bowed for engagement with the inner walls of the body 2. The upper ends of the bowed portions 12 are further bent to provide grips 13 for removing the spring 10 and plate 9 from the cooler.

The plate 9 is placed over the ice which is forced to the bottom of the cooler by the downward pressure of the spring 10, the water passing above the plate through the space between theplate and body 2. As the ice melts and becomes smaller the spring 10 is forced further down to insure that the ice will be securely held in position. The bowed portions 12 engage the walls of the body 2 with suflicient force to prevent upward movement of the plate 9 until the grips 13 are moved toward each other to relieve the pressure to remove the spring and plate when the ice is melted.

The utility of this invention will be best understood by studying the results of an actual comparative test that was made. In a cooler was placed two gallons of water at and two and one half pounds of ice 105 which was permitted to float on the water. In ten minutes the water was 60, in twenty minutes 55, in thirty minutes the water was 54 and all of the ice melted.

The same amount of water at the same 110 temperature was then placed with the same amount of ice in a cooler, with the ice held on the bottom of the cooler by the device disclosed in the application. In ten minutes the water was 42, in twenty minutes 40, and in thirty minutes the water was still 4:0 and the ice lasted fifty-five minutes. These figures disclose the great advantage of keeping the ice at the bottom ot'the cooler rather than let it float on top of the water.

What is claimed is 7 1. The combination with a water cooler having a dispensing outlet at the bottom, of means removably and adjustably mounted within the cooler for holding a block of ice wholly submerged in the water at the bot tom of the cooler at all times, said means having an element frictionally engaging the inner wall or the cooler above the ice and said means following the ice as it melts and decreases in size.

2. In a water cooler, an expansion spring, a plate secured to the bottom thereof, a spring bar at the top of the spring and having bowed ends for engaging the walls of the cooler to support said spring and plate in adjusted positions therein.

In a water cooler, an expansion spring, a plate secured to the bottom thereof, a spring bar at the top of the spring and having bowed ends for engaging the walls of the cooler to support said spring and plate in adjusted positions therein, and grips on said bar for flexing said bowed ends out of engagement with the Walls to remove said spring, spring means and plate from the cooler.

A water cooler having a dispensing faucet in the side wall adjacent the bottom, removable means for holding a block of ice submerged at the bottom adjacent said faucet, said means including an expansion spring having a plate secured to its lower end for engaging the ice, and a transverse bar secured to its top and having means for triotionally engaging opposite sides of the cooler at any desired level.

in testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aifixed my signature.

WVILLIAM HERBERT. 

